Wike: Accommodation Provision Not to Compromise Judiciary

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike has rubbished criticisms that government was compromising the independence of the judiciary through the provision of accommodation to judges in the nation’s capital.

He made the assertion yesterday after inspecting the Court of Appeal Division Complex in Daki Biu as well as other projects to provide accommodation for judges in Katampe and Asokoro.

Wike said: “Let’s do it first. There is nothing you would do that the critics will not criticize. Before now that care was not taken for the third arm of government. Before now, they said, judges had nowhere to stay to carry out their job efficiently and effectively.

“Now you are providing it, it becomes an attempt to buy them. How many people can you buy over? So, these things shouldn’t bother us, Mr. President means well for the judicial arm government which is very, very key.

“You can’t talk about democracy without talking about the judiciary. You can’t talk about them doing their work when they cannot have befitting places to stay.

“So, even if, for example, you give them the funds directly, you are the ones still providing the funds. Every arm of government depends on the executive to provide funds.

“So, all this allegation of – you are doing this to buy them – let it be provided first before we talk about who is buying who and who is not buying who.”

He explained that the president meant well for the judicial sector, stating the third arm of government would be happy because it was the first time any government had tried to intervene in tackling their welfare and accommodation burden.

“So, he gave a marching order that first of all, there should be a Court of Appeal Division, housing their own structure differently for administrative headquarters. Luckily for us, we were just there this morning and we saw that the work is almost 85-90% ready.

“Then again, we went to where we are constructing 40 residential houses; 20 for FCT High Court, 10 for the Court of Appeal and 10 for the Federal High Court. We will soon start the one of the Industrial Court,” Wike said.

He added that by June-July, the projects will be commissioned by the President and handed over to the judiciary, saying it had never happened in the history of the country where heads of courts were given houses on their retirements.